Eight years after its release in cinemas, Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters (aka Ghostbusters: Answer the Call) remains a polarizing subject for fans of the long-running franchise. The reboot’s stars including Melissa McCarthy and Leslie Jones have been vocal about the online sexism that they faced at the time. Even original Ghostbusters star and co-creator Dan Aykroyd went further in past statements blaming Feig for running up production costs.

Today, Aykroyd sings a different tune about Feig and his 2016 Ghostbusters reboot. During an interview with People Magazine to promote his Audible Original, ‘Blues Brothers: The Arc of Gratitude,’ Aykroyd reflects on his appreciation for the reboot:

“I liked the movie [director] Paul Feig made with those spectacular women. I was mad at them at the time because I was supposed to be a producer on there and I didn’t do my job and I didn’t argue about costs. And it cost perhaps more than it should, and they all do. All these movies do.”

“But boy, I liked that film. I thought that the villain at the end was great. I loved so much of it. And of course, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones and Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig, you’re never going to do better than that. So I go on the record as saying I’m so proud to have been able to license that movie and have a hand and have a part in it, and I’m fully supportive of it, and I don’t besmirch it at all. I think it works really great amongst all the ones that have been made.”

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Sony put the Ghostbusters reboot in development following the untimely passing of Aykroyd’s co-star and co-creator Harold Ramis in 2014. Feig, fresh off the success of Bridesmaids and The Heat, was chosen to direct shortly after that. Rather than continue the story of the original 1984 movie and its 1989 sequel, Feig opted for a clean slate to make Ghostbusters a new franchise showcase for its female leads. Released in July 2016, Ghostbusters was met with mixed to positive reviews but underperformed financially with a $229 million gross worldwide against a $144 million budget.

The Ghostbusters franchise found a new lease on life with Jason Reitman’s 2021 legacy sequel Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Though its recent entry Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire fell short of expectations last March, plans for the franchise remain active with an upcoming animated series for Netflix. That means Aykroyd’s producer duties will keep him busy for another couple of years.

“I still have these two very active offices to manage, Blues Brothers and Ghostbusters. I thought I could retire five years ago, but it hasn’t worked out that way. That’s okay. I’m grateful for the privilege to keep going.” 

Have you seen Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters reboot? Does it hold up today? What do you think of Dan Aykroyd’s comments? Let us know in the comments below.

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